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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 120 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  2. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  3. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  4. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  5. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  6. I'll be taking the ________________.
  7. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  8. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  9. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  10. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  11. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  12. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  13. When are we going to ________________?
  14. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  15. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  16. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  17. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  18. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  19. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  20. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  21. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  22. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  23. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  24. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. bowl — a football final
  2. wound — an injury
  3. pound — for dogs
  4. tube — in a tire
  5. wave — of the sea
  6. tube — the underground
  7. bowl — a dish
  8. rest — a break
  9. land — ground
  10. pound — a weight
  11. land — a country
  12. lie — to recline
  13. land — to come down
  14. rest — what's left
  15. pound — to hit hard
  16. wave — a sudden rise
  17. wound — past of 'wind'
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. rest — what's left
  20. wave — with your hand
  21. bowl — to roll
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. wound — an injury
  24. tube — a container

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com